I recently came across a CBC article on the rise and fall of the king of grandparent scams. I will be honest here - I was thrilled about the 'fall' part.
The scam launches by a "youth" calling their "grandparent," claiming they are in trouble and need money, sometimes begging not to tell their parents. This tickles our human need to feel included, even if it's in scheming supportively. Grandchild and grandparent have a fun secret together, and isn't that why grandparents are so wonderful? An extra treat or $5 here and there, the parents none the wiser? Scammers also do their research. They know the names of family members, and enough details to convince their scam victim they are the person they're claiming to be. Grandparent scammers pull it off. Pure evil stuff.
The mastermind behind Canada's grandparent scam is Gareth West. West has curated an image for himself as a real estate mogul, and flaunted his wealth on social media. Prior to the patina of his fake estate success, West struggled, and was involved with Montreal's crime families. He had many failed attempts at the wealth he strove for, then, one day, he found something that worked: other people's money.
West had a new normal. It consisted of having associates drop by with bags of money. When each scam stole $12,000 USD per victim, West quickly settled into the life he always dreamed of. His estate has real marble countertops, gold plated finishing, and countless other touches that were the spoils of looting seniors of their life savings. He claimed his success was thanks to smart investing, and real estate. The real estate he acquired in Canada and the US, though, was populated by call centre agents, researching and calling unsuspecting seniors who, for the most part, fell for it. Call centre employees earned a commission on each successful scam, so, the incentive was there.
Scam money was, you won't be surprised to learn, laundered, converted to cryptocurrency, and smuggled. But, you'll be happy to know, locations in Montreal and the US were raided by police in 2024. Everyone was caught, except for West, who fled. He is still on the run, and wanted by police. Sadly, police crackdown hasn't halted grandparent scamming entirely, but it's a satisfying piece of news when someone like West feels a little less comfortable.